Herein this article we defined gas oil, where gas oil comes from and furthermore, we explained why and who makes use of gas oil
What is Gas Oil?
Gas oil is a commercial fuel used as an alternative to road diesel. It is a fuel that is cheaper than normal road diesel due to it being a rebated fuel used for heating, rail transport and agricultural sector. It should never be used in any vehicles on public roads. There is a red dye added to the fuel to help the police and VOSA identify the difference between normal road diesel and the rebated fuel.
Where does Gas Oil come from?
This is commonly created from petroleum. It is a fossil diesel which is derived from the fractional distillation of crude oil. When crude oil is added to a large chamber (fractionating column) and distilled in this way, the lower part of the chamber has a much hotter atmosphere which cools as it rises to the upper part. At various height levels in the column, temperatures vary from the bottom to the top whereby the atmosphere cools towards the upper part. There are several condensers fitted at different height levels which capture the vapors of different substances produced under the corresponding conditions.
Gas oil is one of the heavier substances which are created and it is collected near the lower level of the column, just above marine fuel oil and just below aviation fuel. Below marine fuel oil, a substance called bitumen is produced, which isn’t suitable as fuel and is commonly used for road surfaces instead.
Why Gas Oil and Who uses it?
It has many different names some to include: red diesel, cherry, 35 seconds, heating oil just to name a few. Sometimes there’s confusion about gas oil and normal automotive, white diesel fuel. Regarding its chemical make-up, there is no difference at all apart from the fact that red dye has been added to the fuel to differentiate it.
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In the commercial and agricultural sector it is used for equipment such as cranes, bulldozers, generators, bobcats, tractors and combine harvesters.
Gas oil is also often used by travelling fairs and carnivals to power their generators, and it’s also sometimes used in the aviation industry to power jet engines, but normally the aviation industry uses a form of kerosene.
It offers a cost-effective alternative to other fuels and it doesn’t carry the same levies on tax as white diesel. However, don’t be mistaken into believing that you can use it in your normal on-the-road vehicle. If you are caught doing this, then you could face a heavy fine. Because it is subject to much lower taxes, it is only meant for specific agricultural machinery and rail transport.
As already stated, there are some restrictions and guidelines surrounding its usage, for instance, it is NOT a substitute for road diesel. Using it in a diesel-powered vehicle on a public road is an offence.
Although it is considerably cheaper than regular diesel due to the lower tax duty, the potential fines or prosecution incurred from using this oil illegally could be much higher than any savings made.